ACE BOON COON

by DANNY GARDNER

It’s 1950s Illinois and Elliot Caprice has returned to his rural Southville homestead to help his uncle save the family farm, which is struggling through a drought. As racial tensions between agricultural workers rise, a murder pulls Elliot back to Chicago when his ties to both Jewish and Negro organized crime factions are discovered during a clash of competing interests around the development of the long-awaited Chicago campus of the University of Illinois.

PRICE: $9.99 – $17.99
Prices may vary by retailer

ABOUT THE BOOK

From award-winning author Danny Gardner comes Ace Boon Coon, the second in the Tales of Elliot Caprice historical crime fiction series about a disgraced police officer caught between worlds—black and white, good and bad.

It’s 1950s Illinois and Elliot has returned to his rural Southville homestead to help his uncle save the family farm, which is struggling through a drought. As racial tensions between agricultural workers rise and a murder occurs, Elliot gets pulled back to Chicago when his ties to both Jewish and Negro organized crime factions are discovered during a clash of competing interests around the development of the long-awaited Chicago campus of the University of Illinois. When pressures from federal agents representing Estes Kefauver’s Special Committee on Organized Crime, along with the Nation of Islam, wealthy white potential investors and a shadowy force called the White Circle League close in, Elliot must race against time to connect a money trail to two more murders—and to thwart the destruction of Southville—before the forces combine to destroy Elliot.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

From his beginnings as a young stand-up comedian (Def Comedy Jam All-Stars vol. 12), Danny Gardner has enjoyed careers as an actor, director, and screenwriter. He is a recent Pushcart Prize nominee for his creative non-fiction piece Forever. In an Instant., published by Literary Orphans Journal. His first short fiction piece, “Labor Day”, appeared in Beat to a Pulp, and his flash fiction has been featured in Out of the Gutter and on Noir On The Air. He is a frequent reader at Noir at the Bar events nationwide. He blogs regularly at 7 Criminal Minds. He is a proud member of the Mystery Writers of America and the International Thriller Writers.

Danny lives in Los Angeles by way of Chicago. A Negro and an Ofay is his first novel.

BOOK DETAILS

Item Weight: 13.4 ounces
ISBN-13: 978-1952427053
Paperback: 284 pages

ISBN-10: 1952427053
Publisher: Bronzeville Books (September 15, 2020)
Product Dimensions: 5.98 x 0.6 x 9.02 inches

Language: English

REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS

“ACE BOON COON is rooted in the classic underpinnings of Elroy’s Big Nowhere and Hammett’s Glass Key. Gardner’s Caprice fights for survival and crumbs off a thin slice of pie. ACE BOON COON is a testament to the spirit and fortitude of Black America.”

Peter CarlaftesAnthony Award-Winning Editor ofThe Obama Inheritance, Publisher, Three Rooms Press

“A timely dive into issues of poverty, economic disparity, and racial tension boiling over in 1950’s Chicago. Ace Boon Coon illustrates the struggle of a Black veteran trying to find his place in the world, torn between a failing family farm and the draw of the big city where glamour and corruption live side by side. Both worlds collide and threaten to bring Elliot to his knees. Smartly written, intricately plotted, highly recommended.”

James L’EtoileAuthor, Bury the Past and At What Cost